Fantastic Beast: Sanjay Kasliwal’s Preening Peacock Ring

Peacocks are a signature motif for Sanjay Kasliwal, the Jaipur, India–based jewelry firm named for its founder, an eighth-generation member of the family behind the city’s venerated Gem Palace. Shalini Kasliwal, Sanjay’s daughter and the firm’s North American president, helmed the creation of this particular peacock after falling hard for “the intricate structure of it,” she says. The ring is actually a slightly updated reproduction of one of Sanjay’s earliest designs, with its motif and lines “rooted in traditional Mughal Empire style.”

PHEASANT THOUGHTS

The piece was made at the Gem Palace workshop in Jaipur, and Shalini recalls that the biggest challenge in its creation was “balancing the weight across all the elements. The structure had to be perfected several times. It had to be truly wearable.”

FEATHER WEIGHTS

The 22k yellow gold ring features 15.45 cts. t.w. diamonds, 24 cts. t.w. rubies, 1 ct. t.w. sapphires, and 0.3 ct. t.w. emeralds. Shalini says that it’s “quintessentially a wedding set element—but I could see it being worn to a cocktail party by one of my South American clients.”

RARE BIRD

The fabrication process began with Sanjay making a sketch of his old design with a brand-new gem pattern—his daughter’s idea. At one point, he was tempted to keep the ring all gold. “But we are so fond of colored stones,” she says—and voilà, insta-dazzle!